Da Capo al Fine
by hyacinthian
Summary: Play from the beginning til the end. Begin again, and stop at the Fine. Such was the manner of their relationship. [HarmMac] PostFair Winds and Following Seas


Title: Da Capo al Fine

Author: ScarlettMithruiel

Classification: R

Rating: T

Disclaimer: JAG doesn't belong to me.

Author's Note: This came in part due to my smut-writing mood. I want to thank Sara a lot. Without her, gaping errors, I tell you. Gaping errors! And, holy crap, I'm writing fluff. Look, there are the four horsemen of the apocalypse!

They inadvertantly held their breaths as they watched the coin spiral into the air and begin its inevitable descent. With this coin, they were putting their careers on the line. One of them would have to sacrifice for the other. The coin clattered noisily against the floor as it bounced. And they watched, open-mouthed with amazement, as it stopped on the edge. Mac released her breath and spoke first. "You have _got _to be kidding me!" Fate certainly had a way of screwing them over. This was Fate relinquishing power. _Make your own goddamn decision. _And if Fate existed, Mac certainly wanted to punch her right about now.

Bud seemed amazed, while Harm seemed at a loss for words. Bud reached down and plucked the golden coin from its precarious position. "Just like the Twilight Zone," he said, eyes sparkling with childlike enthusiasm. Everyone's eyes fell on him, and he receded just a little. Despite their little problem, everyone offered their congratulations, before leaving them to settle it themselves. Harm took Mac's hand, and kissed it gently, before leading her to a secluded booth.

He watched her reaction, gauging it, as he began speaking. "Mac," he began, clearing his throat. Why was he so nervous? He had kissed her, kissed her until they both were breathless masses of flesh, and now, he couldn't even tell her what he was feeling? He had told her he loved her! Somewhere within him, a voice replied. _Yeah, and you didn't exactly hear her reply, did you? You told her you loved her, and she just sat there. _His rational side argued that if she didn't love him, why would she kiss him? _Then, she would've loved Webb, Brumby, Dalton…all of them. She's slept with them, too. And you've gotten nowhere near her bed. _He frowned at his own coarseness. That wasn't what this relationship was about. He loved her. _Oh, do you? _And he certainly wasn't going to argue himself about it.

"Yes?"

"I've loved you for a long time," he said, taking her hand. She nodded. Her thoughts vaguely registered at this point. All the sensors, nerves, things-in-her-hand-that-told-her-Harm-was-touching-it things were going off full blast at this point. Her collarbone became warm, and the heat gradually spread. A flush spread over her. "And I just want you to know that I was serious, in my apartment."

Her voice felt dry as she rasped out a reply. "I know."

"And I want you to know that even though Fate did absolutely _nothing _for us, I still want us to get married." He kissed her, lightly, but she threw her arms around his neck, and deepened the kiss. She pulled away, and rested her forehead on his, savoring the feeling. How long had it been? How long had they waited? It seemed like an eternity ago. And she didn't want to go back.

He reached in his pocket and removed a black velvet box, setting it on the table before her. Her mouth opened and closed, searching for the right words unsuccessfully. Her eyes flew to his, and searched them. She was searching them for the answers to the questions she seemed unable to ask. "Harm…"

"Open it," he whispered, his head near her ear. She nearly shuddered at the feeling. This was all so new to her, yet it felt normal. It fit her. She reached for it, her hand quivering slightly. She opened the box, and stared at the ring nestled in it.

"Harm…you…" She was at another loss for words. The ring was absolutely stunning. And it looked like it cost him a lot. She didn't want to be spoiled. She wasn't worth it. "You can't possibly afford this." He shook his head, and ignored her.

"Try it on." She stared at it. It was a gold band, and it was decorated with a moderate sized diamond, not large enough to be gaudy, nor small enough to be considered plain, nestled in between two emeralds. She slid it on her left ring finger, shuddering as the cold metal touched her warm skin. He warmed her hand between his own, and she smiled at him.

"Green for a Marine?" she said. He clutched her waist, and pulled her back, so her back rested against his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

"Green for _my _Marine." She turned to face him, and he kissed her. He was overjoyed that he could be like this with her now. And forever…in a little while. His caustic voice returned. _Possessive much? _He could sense the voice's smirk.

"What are we going to do, Harm? Fate didn't tell us anything, and between the both of us, we won't be able to decide anything."

"Mac, you could always go to San Diego, and I could go to London." She looked at him, eyebrows knitted together. "We'd still be together…engaged."

"Like a long distance relationship?" He nodded. "Do you really think that'd work?"

"Mac, how long have we waited?" He paused for a second. "I know you can calculate it, but please don't. It was rhetorical." There was humor in his voice and she smiled. "And I know it'd work. We can always visit each other. And we can get married whenever one of us feels ready. It'll work, Mac. Besides, the other scenario would be some other random method of choosing who'd have to leave their career." She leaned back against him, reveling in the feel of his muscles against her, and she smiled. And she realized with astounding clarity that she'd be happier no place else than where she was now.

And so, it was decided that Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie and Captain Harmon Rabb Jr. would go their separate ways, if only for a short period of time. She transferred to San Diego, and he transferred to London. However, she still wore her engagement ring, beautiful and costly though it was.

Months passed, as did their correspondance. Each letter seemed to lighten the burden that had settled itself over their hearts, but they felt no less compensated. Their hearts were still heavy, their souls still ached, and their libidos, let's say, seemed to fluctuate.

Professionally, they were happy. They both enjoyed their work immensely, as well as their exposure to new sorts of people. Personally, they needed to see each other. They had needed to see each other as soon as they had departed from the airport. He had never been accustomed to not seeing her face every morning and every day. And she wasn't accustomed to his absence either. However, it was something they needed to become used to…until she began to devise a plan to visit him. _Leave, maybe? _She considered her options. _Maybe I could go on leave for a few months. _

And that was how she had arrived in London a few days later. She arrived at his apartment soon enough. _Not apartment_, she chastised herself. _Flat. Yes. A flat. His flat. _And with some of that famed Marine cunning, she managed to enter his apartment. She dropped her things neatly in a corner of a spare bedroom. _You don't know that it's a spare bedroom. It could be sleeping quarters for some nightly visitors. _She shook her head. Without him, it seemed that the worst of the personal attacks came to her mind. He would stay faithful to her. She knew it. He wasn't the type of person to cheat on his loved ones.

When she realized he wouldn't be coming home within a few hours, she began to unpack her things, neatly setting them in generic areas where they would not intrude upon another's space, had there been another resident here. She sat in the main area of the room by the door at the exact time that the familiar clicking that accompanied the unlocking of a lock began. She awaited the visitor. _It could be his flatmate, you know. _When the form became definitive and cleared itself upon her view, she noticed that it was the same dark-haired sailor she had loved and avowed herself to. His presence (in dress whites, nonetheless) evoked something libidinous in her, and she gently…forced herself upon him. Her inner voice chimed in. _Attacked, more like. _But she was occupied at present, and could barely stop to listen to her inner voice.

She greeted him with a shower of kisses, before he could even shut the door behind him. He did eventually shut the door behind him when he manuevered it so she was pressed up against it. "Mac?" he seemed surprised, but she overcame his surprise with more kisses. The kisses were deep, passionate, and scattered his thoughts so well, he could barely remember whether or not the last thing he said was a complete sentence. He pulled away for a second, feeling her hands working furiously at trying to remove his layered uniform. He almost laughed. She was a Marine. She should know, of all people, how crazy it was trying to put the uniform (in its various layers) on when calm, never mind trying to remove all the layers off in a frenzied state of mind. "Mac, what are you doing here?" She diverted her attention back to him, with a passionate, lingering kiss. She lifted her head, allowing him to see her shining mahogany eyes for a second, before whispering huskily.

"This now, questions later." It was almost a Neanderthalian sense of prioritizing, but he didn't argue when she leapt up on him (there were no other terms for it), securing herself by wrapping her legs around his waist. He kissed her again, and darted to the flesh of her neck, when their disoriented stumbling resulted in them falling against the bed. She released a soft breath as he kissed her collarbone. "God, I missed you." She then rolled them over, almost as if they were one mass, so their positions were reversed, and she was straddling him. She grinned.

And, for the first time, they were rising and falling, almost as quickly and sharply as the sound of their compounded ragged breaths. They were going from one extreme to the other, never pausing, until the momentum built into a crescendo. And as the tide forced her eyes shut, she reveled in the friction, the passion, and the vivacity. She couldn't believe that he was real, they were real…that they were living in this moment together. It was a collective series of images to her mind, but to her nerves, to her sensors, he had them alight a few years ago. This was a summation.

In the morning, she awoke, feeling sated. She watched the light sun stream through, creating flickers of shadow on the ceiling, as well as on them. She admired him, her eyes never failing to see the emotion dancing slightly underneath. He was committed…to his work, to her, to them. It would be impossible for her to love the man more.

He awoke to the sound of running water. He forced his eyes open, emancipating them from the haze that last night's events had settled upon them. Running water? Oh, yeah. Mac. _My marine and her insane sense of time. _But he knew he loved it. Because it was a part of her. And he loved every, single part of her: flaw or perfection. And to him, both were wonderful.

The bathroom door creaked as it opened, and as she stepped into the room, his eyes followed her. She was clad in a towel, and her hair lay in flat, wet clumps, drizzling water down her back and arms. He walked up and kissed her, stealing her breath away. "Morning," he whispered. She smiled softly, and reciprocated the greeting. "Now, sit yourself down and tell me how you could manage to visit me."

"Shouldn't I get dressed first?" She smirked. She knew what his answer would be. There would be no need for him to say it.

"Spill it, Mac."

"I'm officially on leave, _Captain_." She stressed the title. He smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose. As he stood and began to get dressed, her voice cut through the silent air. "Harm?" It was riddled with the insecurity and anxiety her inner voice had began to foster within her.

"Hm?"

"Where?"

She shrugged, before shaking her head. "I don't care, Harm. Here. There. Virginia."

"Virginia? We could get married in Virginia. A real military wedding." He gave her his patented grin, and she was prone to a smile. He lifted her in one swift movement, as she shrieked from surprise, and kissed her. "I think such news calls for a day off from work, don't you?" And before she could nod, his lips were upon hers. _We're going to get married! _The excitement in her mind was shoved into the background as more pressing matters called her attention. And she became lost in the city noise, and _him. _


End file.
